


Dark Like Molasses, Sweet Like Laughter

by CurlicueCal, LaughingStones



Series: Shadowbound AU [7]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Daemons, Demons, Demonstuck, Dirty Talk, Familiars, Humanstuck, Light Dom/sub, M/M, PDA, Polyamory, Soulbonds, Unnegotiated Kink, consent while sugar high, i guess, i mean learn to use DIFFERENT words gamzee, magic as science, metaphysical bondage, mild exhibitionism, overcaffeination, seriously gamzee learn to use your words, social overstimulation, study party, this is a bakery au, what are shadows even no one really knows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-10-28 19:49:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10838199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CurlicueCal/pseuds/CurlicueCal, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaughingStones/pseuds/LaughingStones
Summary: Gamzee experiments with socializing.Dirk is over-caffeinated.Hal pulls the tiger's tail.>:3





	Dark Like Molasses, Sweet Like Laughter

It was well after midnight by the time the study party at Jane’s bakery got properly frolicsome.  Might have something to do with pre-exam jitters, or might have more to do with all the caffeine and sweet pastries folks were packing back.  The babble of shadow voices washed over Gamzee the moment he stepped out of the kitchen, layered in over the talk of the human types.  Loud still, but he could hang on more to the happy than the fretful in it.  Kurloz swirled around his ankles in a dark tangle, murmuring soft at the back of Gamzee’s head to distract from the tumult.  Between that and the quiet space in the kitchen turning out another batch of cookies and getting back up in his chill, Gamzee was full ready to enjoy the mirthful company again.

He swung by the close-to-hand table where John’s card tower was up to being a card castle and plopped another plate of cookies down.  Careful, though, so as not to be shaking things.  

“Thanks!” John didn’t look up from his current turret, but he sounded pleased for true.  His shadow-bro rippled cheerful acquisitiveness, gusting out in cheerful curlicues across the table.   _ Cookies, cookies, cookies. _

Slouched back in a chair next to him, Dave mumbled rhymes to himself, poking moodily at some bit of writing he had to up and finish for tomorrow.  He snagged a cookie off the plate with a brief nod Gamzee’s direction.  A second cookie was passed behind him over his shoulder to Nepeta.  The kitty-sis turned aside from her lively discussion with Jade and Aradia just long enough to grab the sweet and nuzzle right into Dave’s palm, kissing his fingertips as he retrieved them.  Her shadow purred up a storm, and Dave’s, all feathered on the wall near her, dark cat tail swishing, felt like to join.  

“Thanks, Gamzee,” Nepeta chirped, beaming toothily.  “These cookies are purrrrfectly delicious.  What a lovefurly meowthful.”  

“Fuckin’ clawsome,” Dave mumbled, still chewing on the end of his pencil and frowning at his essay.

“Oh, oh, oh!” Jade’s voice rose from the table behind.  “ _ Or _ we could put spikes on it!  Or  _ claws _ .  Or like.   _ Claw-spikes _ .  That would worry the other contenders.”

“Ooooh,”  Nepeta spun back around.

Aradia leaned in over their pile of blueprints, grabbing a cookie from the plate Gamzee set down while sketching rapidly.  Whatever they’d been working on all night for their robotics class seemed to have them all manner of excited.  “I still like the idea of a battering ram attachment.   _ With _ spikes, maybe,” she added.

That started a whole clamor of noise as three shadows started up with their own thoughts on the matter, chattering all atop each other, each to their own sister.  Gamzee smiled and winced both at once.  He was mighty pleased as everybody was having a good time, but holy fuck if there wasn’t a lot of noise in here.  Not that anybody else would notice.

_ Bunch of babbling starlings, all squabble and squawk,  _ Kurloz commented.   _ All set to flutter around your fingertips for breadcrumbs. _

_ Well, they are hella good cookies, bro, _ Gamzee said. _ They’ve got molasses in ‘em _ .

Juggling the two remaining plates of sweets, he headed along to where Karkat and Sollux were sat.  He could hear Sollux’s shadow before he even got close, talking so fast in his brother’s ear, Gamzee couldn’t hardly understand a word.  Half of him was a vibrating crackle of black on the table by Sollux’s elbow, while the other half was draped down under his chair like a sodden shirt, black and puddling on the floor.  Karkat’s shadow bulked beside his host-brother’s chair, arms crossed, sighing affectionate annoyance. For his part, Karkat getting his best kinda lecture on, hands waving, brows down low.  Sollux smirked at him and deliberately swigged back more of his Red Bull-coffee concoction.  Karkat kicked Sollux under the table.

Aw, that was fucking cute as hell, the way Karkat got all up in his concern over his friends.

“All I’m saying is your liver’s gonna give up and run away to Sweden, you dumb fuck, and then where will you be?” Karkat growled.

“If I die of liver failure I don’t have to take this o-chem exam,” Sollux said.  “Win-win.”  His shadow cackled and Sollux took another slug of the drink.

Gamzee wandered up, slid a plate in between them, and dropped a kiss on Karkat’s forehead.  “Hey, best beloved,” he said, patting his cheek.  “You having a good shout?”

Karkat went ruddy to the tips of his ears.  “Gamzee, for fuck’s sake.  What have I told you about PDA?”

“...Wait ‘til I get you all private to my own self?”

Lifting his eyebrows, Sollux leaned back in his chair.  “Hot,” he deadpanned.  His shadow cackled louder and started making rude suggestions.

_ Why are all our friends terrible?  _ Karkat’s shadow-bro mused.   _ Some of them have no sense of propriety, and some of them have no sense of self-preservation and are going to chug caffeine until they overdose and explode, which is the only thing that will save them from their imminent murder at our hands. _

Karkat just facepalmed and glared at Gamzee, all red-faced and cute.  “Both of you shut up.  And just,” he flailed his hand in the air, “stop.  Being that way.”

“Don’t figure I will,” Gamzee said, grinning and ruffling Karkat’s hair.  “You being all to liking me this way.”

“What are you even doing to the English language right now?” Karkat growled.  “What did either of us ever do to deserve this?”

Figuring that one for unanswerable, Gamzee patted him and stepped on to the next table.  Roxy lifted up her hand and waved enthusiastically as he came their way.

“Hey!  Dirk, look who it is!”

Dirk looked around and Hal looked around and whoa.  That was a whole pile of jitter and thrum wound through the usual focused discipline.  His little staticky-brother, as had started the night so packed down and careful, was bold and blatant on the wall, humming with energy.  

Kurloz was suddenly all attention, focused on that livewire of a shadow.  With Hal in his sights, the rumble of Kurloz’s energy along Gamzee’s spine took on an anticipatory edge.

Unlike his shadow, Dirk didn’t look much different, but his shades fixed on Gamzee and the tight lines of his body leaned forward just a bit.  

“Returned from his sequesterment in the kitchens, he comes bearing provisions,” Dirk said, words running quick like there was a place to get to or a deadline to meet and bewilder.  “An offering of sugar to appease the gods of knowledge.  Truly we are indebted to you for this fine tribute, good sir.  Howsoever can we repay such a kindness?”

Head pillowed on her arms on the table, Jane made a noise like  _ pffft _ .  Her shadow echoed it, laughter all sleepy and fond and amused.

Gamzee slid the plate on the table and grinned at Dirk.  “I got a good many thoughts on the topic of repayment if you want to be at hearing ‘em.”

“Woo!” Roxy said.  “Totes wants.  I vote yes.”

_ Seconded,  _ her shadow drawled.

“I abstain,” Jane said, rolling her eyes and smiling against her elbow, shadow-sister curled comfortably under her.

“Wow, we’re infested with freeloaders,” Dirk said. “Whisper ‘em in my ear.”

Gamzee’s gut clenched in a hot little beat of pleasure.

“Right you are, my brother,” he said, pleased as pie at the welcome unexpected.  Wasn’t being sent away, wasn’t being held off as an embarrassment, wasn’t a clinging thing, unwanted.  Got to  _ have _ .  Straddling Dirk’s legs, he plopped himself down in his lap.  Not touching skin, not yet.  

Like a trap closing, Kurloz swept out around Dirk’s chair, two branches of shadow that shot up the wall to encircle Hal as he lounged there.  Gamzee couldn’t quite tell if it was to hold him there or because his high-strung mood annoyed and attracted like a darting bird.  But the humming satisfaction felt a little like a darker version of his own.

Gamzee leaned forward to murmur in Dirk’s ear.  “How many ways you figure I can up and have my way with you before you’re paid off?”

That little catch in Dirk’s breath was treasure like gold.  He was still for just a heartbeat, caught off guard, maybe, and then that thrumming jittery energy from Hal kicked it up another gear.  Dirk slid his glance sideways toward Gamzee, smile glinting in his eyes from behind the shades.  “Intriguing.  But I was promised  _ lots _ of thoughts.  As in a plural, a multiplicity, non-singular.”

_ Letting us down, bro, _ Hal chimed in, sidling closer to Kurloz on one side, like he might try the boundary.   _ Gonna make us do all the kinky brainstorming over here? _

Gamzee laughed and flexed his fingers just a bit in the cloth of Dirk’s shirt, because it was there and because it was a powerful wonder to have all of that attention turned on him like a knife.  “Bro, you know I’m all about up and getting my promises kept.”  

_ Show you a storm like to render you down to struts and spirit,  _ Kurloz said, and if Hal couldn’t hear him he could for sure note the tightening curl of Kurloz around him.   _ Fetch out your innermost secrets.   _

_ Tsk.  So boring in here _ , Hal said, and Dirk raised a challenging eyebrow at Gamzee.

“How’s this?”  Gamzee draped his arms around Dirk’s neck, resonance rushing through him as bare arms touched bare shoulders.  He closed his eyes for just a breath, to balance.  Where the brother was usually drive held in careful check, just now the motherfucking parking brake was broken and it was just drive, under a giddy layer of sleep-deprived excitement.  “Could get you up and ride you just like this,” Gamzee whispered, and the instant hot flare of response brought a smug twist to his grin. 

Dirk’s eyes fluttered behind the shades and his gaze flicked over to where Jane and Roxy still sat, Jane with one sardonic eyebrow up, Roxy staring openly with a broad grin, snickering and nudging Jane as their shadows observed in amusement.  “Think you’d get a mixed vote on that one,” Dirk murmured back, lips tilting up.  “We could poll the room.”

“Hell yes we could,” Gamzee said enthusiastically, and just as quickly added, “Shit, no we can’t.  Karkat would motherfucking kill me.”

_ And that would be a shame,  _ Hal said with faux solemnity, fingers wandering along the wall a bare fraction away from Kurloz, testing, probing, provoking.   _ Because then we couldn’t suck your cock under the table. _

Gamzee shifted on Dirk’s lap and breathed a little heavier in his ear.  He snuggled in closer.  “I mean, you  _ could _ , bro, but no one likes a necrophiliac.”

“Yeah, that would deliver such a blow to my popularity ratings,” Dirk said, quiet-close like a secret.  “Can’t risk it.  Guess we better keep you alive.”

“Then I guess we better get our wait on for all these folks to leave.”  Gamzee’s grin stretched until it couldn’t get no bigger.  Dirk’s eyes behind his shades were very bright, the hint of his smile small, but sharp and real. Through the resonance, he bubbled all bright like stars and soda pop, amused and gleeful and revved up on caffeine.  Gamzee wanted to roll himself in that feeling, catch it by the handful and keep it.  He settled for nuzzling at Dirk’s cheek, the edge of his shades.  Not seductive really, just fond, wanting to touch.  He’d never thought to be able to do this in public, flirt all plain and open for any to see, get in as close as only Kurloz let him normally, and it was a wicked delight that Dirk was so pleased to do it.  His voice picked up the happy thrum of his satisfaction, low and private in the space between them.  “Then I can turn you over one of these tables and you can be real sweet to me for as long as I want you.  Sweet for sweets.  Sounds fair to me, bro.”  

“I haven’t even  _ had  _ any of these allegedly god-like cookies you keep offering,” Dirk said, fingers tracing curlicues on Gamzee’s thighs where they straddled his.  “Starting to think your baking isn’t going to put out.”

“Ain’t none of my trouble, bro.  I delivered.  That you ain’t up and took yet is on you.”

“No,  _ you’re  _ on me,” Dirk returned.  He mimed a sad face.  “I’m all pinned down and helpless.  Feed me.”

Gamzee leaned in again, lips against the rim of Dirk’s ear as he said low, “Oh, you ain’t helpless  _ yet _ , bro.  That’s for the next time I hold you down.”  Then he brushed a kiss against Dirk’s jaw and leaned back to grab a cookie.

Roxy’s laugh rang out.  “Ohmigod, you two are  _ presh _ .  The most adorbs.”

Dirk smirked a bit and leaned in to take a bite of the cookie from Gamzee’s fingers.  “Aren’t we just?”

Jane rolled her head against the table.  “Oh my god, don’t encourage this.  They’ll be going all night.”

Roxy’s eyebrows bounded and her shadow-sis wolf-whistled.  Dirk smirked.  Gamzee laughed.  “Could do, sis.”

“Shut up,” Jane said, but her shadow-sis was laughing,  _ hoo hoo hoo! _  “Also no.  Nixed.  Not in my shop.”

Gamzee grinned and ducked his head, mock-remorseful, and went back to making sweet with Dirk, warmed by the many shades of fondness he could feel from everyone around.

He was in the middle of feeding Dirk a second cookie when the jostle and play of their shadows on the wall behind Dirk suddenly spiked.  Kurloz made a noise like an eager snarl.  Hal’s mood, walking a bright edge of recklessness all evening, spun startled and intent.  Dirk half-turned in the chair under Gamzee and then--

\--resonance surged through Gamzee redoubled as a thick band of shadow launched from Kurloz across Hal.

Dirk swayed a little with the impact.  “Whoa,” he said, breathless, fingers clutching automatically at Gamzee’s sides.

Gamzee had to let out a huff himself, shake his head to get his balance back under the onslaught.  Kurloz thrummed and pulsed with a hungry kind of triumph,  _ mine, yield to me, subjection to your god, mine the power and the dominion, yours to bow to my whim; little noisy, needy, many-faced one, coming apart for me so easily. _

Encircled and pinned by him, shadow-crossed, Hal shifted restlessly, all that overabundance of jittery energy flashing to something electric and anticipatory.  With Kurloz’s touch, the shape of him felt bright and alive in Gamzee’s head, like something solid he could grasp and know the truth of.

Hal trembled and growled and pressed back into the touch, energy grappling close with Kurloz’s like he’d pull himself into him.  _ Who’s coming apart?  _ he said, close-twined enough to hear and know himself heard.  _ Can’t hardly even feel you yet, big guy; are you sure you’re even trying? _ There was a breathless quality to the brazenness of him.  Had the feel all to it of the way Dirk got, pinned down on his back on the floor, gasping up and pushing for more.

“So this is… new,” Dirk said, and his voice was level, all control, but his body was taut and eager under Gamzee and his energy sang out  _ take me, take me, take me. _

Gamzee had the notion full up in him to oblige, as what motherfucker wouldn’t?

He had a hand up half wrapping around Dirk’s throat when the sharp clatter of a chair falling over recalled him to the room.  Shadow voices surged in sudden tumult.  Gamzee and Dirk jerked partways apart, turning to find Jane risen from her seat, Roxy frowning and her shadow talking rapid in her ear, faces all around the room turning their way.

Kurloz made no gesture to shift off or away from his prize, gave no sign he even noticed the commotion.  He threaded another tendril across Hal, crosswise to the first, weaving his way a little farther into the fabric of Hal’s energy.  Gamzee and Dirk both shivered as Hal went jagged-edged and wanting and forgot whatever bit of a protest he’d been making ready to speak.  

Jane approached warily with her shadow-sis at her side, and Gamzee quailed a bit under the pile of serious and concern she had all up and coming off her shadow.  “All right boys,” she said evenly, “There’s no call for fighting in my shop.”

_ Is *that* what she’d call it,  _ Hal muttered, and made to struggle free.  And got precisely nowhere.  Gamzee would have been more concerned if the hot flicker of desire coming off him didn’t blaze up even higher.  Was a nice feel.  Hella better than the rising babble of concerned shadow-voices in the room, that was starting to batter at him from every direction.

Dirk glanced at Jane, raised an eyebrow at Gamzee.  He opened his mouth.  Whatever he was going to say didn’t get said, because that same second Gamzee’s little best beloved came charging into the scene, all wild-eyed and frantic and determined.  

“What the  _ fuck  _ is going on here?”

Gamzee opened his mouth and also didn’t get to speak, because Karkat was already patting rapidly and not precisely soothingly at his face and shoulder.  His shadow stood himself feet braced beside the chair, carefully avoiding edges with all the other shadows, but still large and solid and radiating full with concern and intent. 

There was a whole power of bizarreitude to having his little snuggle-brother so near and up in his concern with the shift and slide of shadow-touch going on all the while and Kurloz’s hungry thrum at the back of his head.  Karkat and Dirk’s hands on him at the same time, too, oh. That was… real confusing.

“ _ You _ ,” Karkat said to Dirk, jabbing a finger, “quit whatever you’re doing.  And  _ you _ ,” he said to Gamzee. The finger jabbed with equal vigor, in defiance of the hand that was still patting.  Jane stood close by, watching both of them with a hand tapping at her lips.  “Settle your shit down, what the hell.  This is a bakery, not a brawling house.”

Gamzee gathered his thoughts enough to pout at him.  “Aw, bro. We’re just cuddling up on each other.  I ain’t any kind of mad.”

Karkat blinked, precious little frown all twisted up in puzzled suspicion, looking from Dirk to Gamzee.  Then he looked on to Kurloz and that frown snapped low and forbidding.

Karkat’s bro Tegmen folded shadow arms.   _ Right, of course it’s this fucker again.  _

“Mn.”  Karkat tapped Gamzee lightly on the temple.  “Hey, asshole.  Your shadow is freaking out the room.  And possibly trying to eat Strider.  You wanna maybe rein him in, there?”  

Hal made a little startled noise at the back of Gamzee’s head as Kurloz flexed around him.  He rippled purposefully and Kurloz let out a queer surprised sort of rumble that caught Gamzee’s breath short in his throat.  Dirk huffed quietly and shifted his hips the tiniest fraction before going carefully, pointedly still.

Gamzee had no notion on him how to get any kind of motherfucking explanation on as to what exactly was going down here.  He thought on it a minute, mouth open, distracted by the way Dirk’s thumbs made hot points on his thighs as Hal’s noises rose and fell, and Karkat got to looking even more worried.

Karkat leaned in closer.  “Are you sure you’re okay?” he muttered.  

His shadow pressed in, too.   _ Normally he doesn’t lose track of the jerk like this unless he’s upset and not admitting it. _

“You can ask for some space if you need it.  Strider’s an obnoxious, over-caffeinated prick tonight, but he seems pretty into you.  He wouldn’t be an ass about it.”  Karkat gave Dirk a look that suggested he’d better not.

Dirk raised one cool eyebrow, but his cheeks were still all pretty and flushed.  “And once again,” he mumbled, almost too low to hear under the conversation still going on--Nepeta and Aradia and Jade all quiet at their table with their shadows loud in their ears, the half-sided conference of Roxy and her shadow-sister, Dave’s own brosis saying something low and certain--“I’m being threatened by the boyfriend while having my soul felt up in public.”

_ *Your* soul?  _ Hal said, though the sarcasm was lost in the way he yelped and went all shivery at the end as Kurloz did some more feeling.

Karkat rolled his eyes at Dirk.  “Say the word and I’ll turn the threats into action,” he told Gamzee.

Gamzee looked from Karkat to Dirk to the tangle of their shadows on the wall--

\--and couldn’t help but bust up laughing.  Was that full on overwhelming ridiculous.  “Ain’t the sort of issue as you’re thinking at, little beloved,” he said, choking down a chuckle, making his best stab at some breed of explanation.  He grimaced, trying for apology though it was all he could do not to crack up laughing again.  “See, bro, they’re not  _ fighting _ .”

Karkat frowned in puzzlement.

Gamzee tilted his eyebrows meaningfully.  Dirk pressed fingers under his sunglasses.

Roxy got it first, making an impressed whoop in conjunction with her shadow.  Karkat looked from her, to Dirk, back to Gamzee with furrowed eyebrows.  He looked at Hal and Kurloz.  His eyebrows furrowed further.

“Are you saying…”  Jane asked, frowning from Dirk to the shadows.  

“Bow chicka wow wow,” Dirk deadpanned.  “Sorry for the shadow exhibitionism and the despoilment of your wall.”

“What,” Karkat said.  

“Oh,” Jane said, eyebrows high and cheeks flushed. “Well.  My.”

_ Why would--how would--  _ Karkat’s brother Tegmen sounded mostly bewildered, with an edge of provoked.   _ That doesn’t even make sense.  I mean, maybe with the host--  _ this side-tracked him briefly into flusterment-- _ but-- _ and straight back to puzzled--   _ with another shadow?  ...Why? _

Jane’s shadow-sis was having a very similar conversation with her sister.  Actually a whole lot of those conversations going on in the room, with all manner of variations of bewildered, and bewildered but voyeuristically entertained.  Wasn’t a thing he’d heard much tell of either, shadows interacting beyond work or defense of their host.  Made Gamzee kinda smug to have a shadow with such wants and tastes, unexpected and unshadow-like.  Gave him another way to get at the inside of Dirk like no one else could get.

_ Who *wouldn’t* want-- little cheeky motherfucker-- gonna take you all to pretty pieces and see what’s at your center, get inside you, pull you apart and make you anew-- _

Hal writhed and moaned all loud and Dirk tensed liked he’d been tazed, want arcing through him electric.  His fingers closed tight on Gamzee’s thighs.  The breath he took was unsteady, but his voice held even.  “Much as I hate to be the downer at this surprise-shadow-erotica-party, I’m gonna have to put a damper on things before the party police show up.  Noise violation. Too many disco balls in one room.  Unlicensed confetti distribution and we don’t even know what’s in the punch.  Also this gift package in my pants is highly suspicious, maybe we should not be opening it around innocent civilians.”

Gamzee blinked innocently, even as Karkat made outraged squawking noises.  “Wasn’t planning on opening it. Package like that you want someone experienced to handle it private-like; might have a real short fuse.”

Karkat leapt back.  “Oh my  _ god,  _ stop, stop now, both of you; just because your shadows are kinky fuckers does not entitle you to shamelessly molest my ear canals with your disgusting courtship displays. God, I need to bleach  _ everything _ .”

Jane looked around the bakery.  Nodded decisively.  “I’ll make Gamzee do it.”

“I thought the issue was  _ stopping _ them doing it,” John called from his table.

Sollux slid down in his chair, cackling. Exactly half of his split shadow was cackling with him; the other half rolled around under the chair making headache-y noises.

“And if you look closer,” Aradia was saying, all making at her best wildlife documentary voice as her tablemates leaned in, “you’ll see that the initiating male seems reluctant to break off the mating ritual.  Observe how he fans his shadow elegantly in an obvious dominance display.  This will impress his partner and frighten away other potential suitors.”

“More like frighten away everyone,” Dave muttered, arms folded over his chest where he stood slouching, expression hidden behind his shades.  His shadow’s wings mantled over him on the wall.

Closer to hand, Roxy leaned on the table, eyes on Gamzee.  Her smile had gone watchful.  The feel of her shadow matched the smile, all alertness and deep undercurrents and a faint, hidden prickle of aggression, tucked inside the glitter of cheerfulness.  “Whatcha think, Gamz?  You got this mate on lockdown yet?”

Gamzee sent the sister a puzzled half-smile, distracted.  It was hard to think on what he might have done to put her in her tension when he was still so otherwise occupied.  Fingers dug a little tighter into his thighs.  He blinked down at Dirk and realized for the first time that not all that unease was coming from the mess of noise out in the room.

“Hey now,” Dirk said, “no paparazzi; I am a shy and cryptic beast and my ways are too mysterious for the nature channel.  Also, my agent wants a cut.”

Gamzee couldn’t see his eyes behind the shades, had a difficulty judging just where that unease got to coming from without a better read on his face.  “Bro?” he said, low and careful.

“Where’s the pause button on this show?” Dirk said, not quite acknowledging him.  “I think mine is busted.” His fingers drummed on Gamzee’s legs.  “Can’t be spoiling the ending, I wanna check this shit out on Netflix later.”

Gamzee blinked and smiled as it came through clear.  “Oh!  Sure thing, my brother,” he said, climbing off Dirk’s lap. It felt as wrong as always, losing that touch-closeness of the resonance, but he could tell he’d done right by the immediate uncoiling of tension he could feel reflecting through the distracted Hal from his brother.  “I like this show.  Gonna have to pick up a subscription.”  

Dirk pressed his lips wryly at Gamzee, but didn’t look like he was standing up anytime soon. He sat in the chair, a little splayed, a little mussed, a little flushed.  Nnn.

Gamzee glanced at Kurloz, all twined around and over Hal on the wall.  _ Gotta chill a bit, bro.  Plenty of time to play later. _

Kurloz flared at him, all reluctant heat.  _ You want them, too. _

Gamzee frowned.   _ And I’ll want them later.  But Dirk’s all discomfort at it now, so we gotta get up on our moderation. _

Rumbling all irritable at him, Kurloz slowly untwined.  As the last tendril drew off from Hal the rest of the resonance cut off.  Gamzee blinked and shifted, like to get used to the confines of his own body again.  Dirk’s bright, hungry mind gone, the blanketing layer of Hal’s pleasure and intrigue gone--felt strange and lonesome to be just Gamzee and Kurloz again.  

Gamzee and Kurloz and a whole mess of noise, pounding in from every direction in the room, shadows murmuring and arguing, thoughts and feelings tugging at him.  He swayed a little, getting his mental feet under him.

Kurloz swept in close, coiling half up Gamzee’s legs and pressing in fierce and tender on his mind.   _ Just noise, little brother, just chatter and squawk.  No need to pay any mind. _

Karkat stepped in again as Gamzee stood hesitating and overwhelmed, annoyed frown getting back a note of worry to it.  “You doing okay?”

“Hell yeah, bro,” Gamzee said, automatic, then glanced over at Dirk, ‘cause it was true, too.

Dirk lifted up an eyebrow, little hint of a smirk on his face.  He leaned back in his chair, all studied casualness, still rumpled up in a way that made Gamzee want to get his hands on him again.  That jangly static was coming off Hal again, and that was... not quite as nice.  Sharper-edged and harder to know how to make out.  He wasn’t anywhere in sight, all folded and tucked up again, hidden behind Dirk’s shades like he only did when he had his strictest courtesy on, or just didn’t want to be so easy read.

“Now that we’ve done with the lewd display,” Jane said, “Gamzee, would you like your own seat?  There’s a spare chair here.  You can keep me company while this dashing lot continues their hot pursuit of academic excellence and caffeine.”

“Full gratitude at it, my sister, but I got a scone recipe I’m looking to try out. Figure this buncha rapscallions can help me clear away the evidence, like.”

“Hell yay,” Roxy said.  “You’re gonna make us more tasty things, we will def devour the  _ heck _ out of that incriminating sugar stash.”  

_ Gonna make that sugary wealth ours.   _ Her shadow had chilled down from the riled up watch she was keeping earlier and just felt acquisitive and amused where her words brushed at Gamzee’s brain.   _ Roll that boy for all he’s worth. _

Shaking off the distraction of overlapping shadow voices, Gamzee grinned at Roxy.  “Sure thing, sis,” he said and turned for the kitchen.

“Yes, good,” Dirk said from his chair, foot already tapping again with that hyper-charged energy from earlier.  “Go and be our baking bunny.”

Gamzee shot him a look and Dirk gave him back a sly smile that slid heat right up Gamzee’s spine.  “Could always join me,” Gamzee told him.  “Be my errand boy.  Do my bidding.”

“Help you get your fluffy tail on straight.”

“ _ No _ ,” Karkat said. “Do not start again.  I forbid it.  It is two AM and I have three-- _ three-- _ exams tomorrow and I absolutely cannot deal with this shit right now, I will self-ignite from pure disgust and burn this bakery down around your ears.”

_ I’ll help _ , Tegmen agreed.

Laughing, Gamzee tousled Karkat’s fluffy hair and got his move on to the back of the shop, the shadow clamor easing with every step.  Before he stepped through the doorway he glanced back, smiling a little at the picture everyone made as they settled back to their study party.  Karkat had stomped back over to harangue Sollux again, who had somehow slumped onto the floor and was hiding under an open textbook. Roxy snickered at the words spilling out of Dirk’s mouth while Jane rolled her eyes at both of them.  Dave sloped their way, hands in his pockets, shadow flutter-pouncing ahead of him to prowl around Dirk’s chair.       


Gamzee grinned, something warm lighting up in him all secret. Been a fair space since he’d last passed time with so many chill and easy folk.  Well pleased at the evening and company, he ducked away through the door to bake his scones.


End file.
